A group sprung up on over the past few days in South Carolina politics called the South Carolina Truth Squad. Though they did file a report with the South Carolina Ethics Commission recently, that report said they had no contributions and no expenditures.
Then, the South Carolina Truth Squad dropped tens of thousands of dollars to buy television ads attacking Attorney General Candidate Alan Wilson. While there is no denying that we at VUI favor Alan Wilson, we abhor cheap shots by any political groups that just appear a few days before an election. After all that is why this blog is named Voting under the Influence. We strive to expose the influence of secret money over South Carolina politics.
We tried to find out how a group with no money and no assets reported found the money to drop on such ads. We called the prepaid cell phone from Greenwood that is listed as their contact phone number repeatedly. VUI left voice messages asking for a return call to answer our questions. There has been no response.
That is no surprise. That is how groups that claim to be dedicated to openness and honesty in government and politics seem to act today in South Carolina. But, what is odd and disappointing is how the ad against Alan Wilson by South Carolina Truth Squad seems in sync with the Lord for Attorney General Campaign. Add to that the mysterious group that “attacked” Lord in the upstate for his efforts on the Boeing deal back in April, and well, the whole thing is troubling. Two groups out of nowhere launched ads that actually both benefited a candidate for office.
VUI is not accusing anyone of anything…yet, but something does not smell right about all this. Though the election will be decided one way or the other on Tuesday before we get our investigation completed fully, regardless of who wins, we will pursue this matter as much as we can. Contrary to what some comment on, the content of this blog is not paid for or controlled by any candidate. VUI calls its own shots, right or wrong. Not one dime from any campaign has ever been paid to the editor, his business or any member of the “staff” of VUI. Not one dime. VUI challenges other bloggers to state the same.
Investigating the South Carolina Truth Squad is not about this or that candidate for office. It is about the integrity of our political system and about holding candidates and their supporters accountable for their actions. We are going to dig on this one, as we have before. Let the chips fall where they may. VUI laid out Mark Sanford’s misuse of 2006 campaign funds long before the mainstream media paid attention. We love to dig. And, dig we will. It is our hobby.
Of course, South Carolina Truth Squad, you have the VUI editor’s phone number and email. Answer the questions. Where did you get your money? Why did you not want to disclose that before the election? Why do your ads seem in sync with a candidate’s? You are for truth, give VUI the truth.
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